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“Treatment is not yet necessary”: delays in seeking access to HIV treatment in Uganda and Zimbabwe

Kawuma, Rachel, Seeley, Janet, Mupambireyi, Zivai, Cowan, Frances ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3087-4422 and Bernays, Sarah (2018) '“Treatment is not yet necessary”: delays in seeking access to HIV treatment in Uganda and Zimbabwe'. African Journal of AIDS Research, pp. 1-9.

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Abstract

We examined the logic that individuals use to account for delaying HIV testing and/or initiating HIV treatment. Our qualitative study, situated within the REALITY trial (Reduction of EArly mortaLITY in HIV infected adults and children starting antiretroviral therapy), was conducted in Uganda and Zimbabwe in 2015. Forty-eight participants (different age groups, sex and viral load/WHO disease stage) were included. Each participant had 2 interviews (1 after 4 weeks of participation in the trial the other after 12 weeks). If a person could manage presenting symptoms, they felt they had “more time” before starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). Their reluctance to have an HIV test (despite deteriorating health) arose from a belief that they were not “sick”, that treatment was “not yet necessary”. People in our study did not consider themselves as presenting “late”, and treatment was not considered urgent as long as they considered their health to be “good enough”.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
WC Communicable Diseases > Virus Diseases > Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV Infections > WC 503 Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV infections
WC Communicable Diseases > Virus Diseases > Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV Infections > WC 503.2 Therapy
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Clinical Sciences & International Health > Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme (MLW)
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.2989/16085906.2018.1490785
SWORD Depositor: JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 10 Sep 2018 10:00
Last Modified: 10 Sep 2018 10:01
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/9229

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